


Tango Kamui

by oiyukis



Category: X/1999
Genre: Alternate Universe, Established Relationship, M/M, dance lessons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-15
Updated: 2013-07-15
Packaged: 2017-12-20 06:32:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/884052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oiyukis/pseuds/oiyukis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kamui needs to learn the tango for school, much to his displeasure. Luckily, Subaru already knows how.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tango Kamui

**Author's Note:**

> For T, my darling, who wanted to see Kamui and Subaru waltz, if I remember the original post correctly. I don't actually know how to waltz, so I chose the tango instead! I hope that's alright with you! I watched quite a bit of tango to get in the mood for this (Take the Lead, El Tango de Roxanne), but [this one is still my favorite](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxjUgPopbTg&t=2m6s). 
> 
> As per usual, this takes place in a world where Kamui and Subaru are allowed to have nice things and the people they love haven't died or turned into murderers. 
> 
> Enjoy~

A loud yell and thump sounds from the floor above, drawing Subaru’s attention away from the most recent fax from the office and to the ceiling of the living room. He doesn’t know the layout of the house very well, given that they just moved in, but if he remembers correctly, the level above is an empty studio floor.

 

Subaru sets down his papers, leaving the room to investigate the noise. He had thought everyone had gone home for the day, now that most of the moving boxes were piled in the garage. They’d be back in the morning to help finish the job, despite Subaru’s insistence that it wasn’t necessary.

 

It’s not that he dislikes the group of high schoolers suddenly calling themselves his friends, he just isn’t sure how to act around them.

 

Subaru clears the stairs quickly, coming to a stop at the closed doors to the studio floor. He strains his ears, picking up the soft sounds of music and muffled cursing. An interesting combination. He opens the door, stepping inside the large room

 

only to find it mostly empty.

 

The only inhabitant of the room is sitting in the center of the floor, surrounded by books and a fairly large radio. Subaru assumes the source of the thump was from the lone book across the room, lying face-down against the wall.

 

“Kamui?”

 

The boy’s shoulders jump, and he looks over his shoulder with wide eyes. He relaxes only slightly when he sees who it is. “Subaru? I thought…” He turns, “What are you doing here?”

 

He resists the obvious ‘I _live_ here’ response, going for something a bit kinder, “I thought you went out with the others.”

 

“I still have homework,” Kamui throws a dark look over his shoulder. “We have to learn a dance, but I was the last one to get paired up, so I’m dancing the girl’s part.”

 

“Shouldn’t you be learning with a partner?”

 

“He already knows the dance, so he told me to figure the rest out on my own.” Kamui frowns. “It’s the tango.”

 

“I can’t believe schools are still teaching dance,” Subaru says, venturing further into the room. “I had to learn in middle school.”

 

“You know how to dance?” Kamui blinks, “Did you have to do the girl part too?”

 

“No,” Subaru offers a small, apologetic smile.

 

“Did you learn the tango?”

 

“And the waltz. And some sort of square-dance, I think.”

 

“Do you remember the steps?”

 

“A little,” Subaru nods. “It’s a bit like riding a bike. You never really forget how to dance.”

 

“Could you teach me?” Kamui holds up one of the books. “These aren’t really helping.”

 

Subaru evaluates the teen for a moment before slowly nodding, “Alright. I suppose I can try.”

 

-

 

Kamui fidgets as Subaru explains how they’re supposed to place their hands. He’s a bit nervous, despite the big steps they’d taken the past few months. Like buying this house. Like moving in together. Even so, they don’t usually stand this close together for such long periods of time.

 

Maybe their relationship _was_ weirder than Kamui thought.

 

He tries not to think _too_ hard about the hand that’s on his shoulder blade, or the hand clasping his fingers, or his own hand on the side of Subaru’s shoulder. He doesn’t want to get so caught up in his thoughts he can’t listen.

 

“Make sure you’re slightly to my right,” Subaru instructs, adjusting Kamui accordingly. “Always stand offset of me.”

 

Kamui nods, staring at their feet. It’s a strange image, with both of them barefoot. It’s a stranger thought still, but there’s something almost intimate about seeing Subaru’s bare feet. Kamui shakes his head, scrambling the embarrassing thought.

 

“I’m going to step forward with my right foot, and you’ll step back with your left.”

 

He looks up, meeting Subaru’s eyes. Kamui flushes immediately, nodding his agreement and hoping Subaru can’t guess what he’d been mulling over.

 

“After that, it’s the same move with the opposite leg. Since you’re moving as the follow, I want you to try and feel when I plan to stop.”

 

Kamui nods again, straightening under Subaru’s hands. It shouldn’t be too hard to follow Subaru’s cues.

 

Subaru waits for the music to hit a high crescendo (or maybe a downbeat, Kamui isn’t very familiar with the specifics of music) to take a fluid step forward. Kamui steps back in time with him, subconsciously tightening his grip on the curve of Subaru’s hand.

 

They fall into the beats of the soft music, taking a few more steps before Subaru halts. Kamui moves his leg back anyway, wincing when he realizes his mistake.

 

“It’s alright. You’re learning,” Subaru offers a patient smile, “I imagine in class it will be easier to tell. The music will be louder, and your instructor will give you verbal cues.”

 

Kamui nods, biting his lips. “Can we try again?”

 

“Of course. This time, I’m going to take a sidestep to close. You should match the move.”

 

“A what?”

 

“A sidestep. Just…follow along.”

 

Kamui takes a breath, “Alright.”

 

Again, Subaru waits until the verse has restarted to step forward. They curve around the floor as they move, keeping in step with the music. This time, Kamui senses the shift in Subaru’s stance before he branches into the sidestep and somehow manages to mimic the movement quick enough to finish the walk in unison.

 

“That’s much better,” Subaru appraises. “Did your instructor say if you needed to learn a promenade? Or just the walk?”

 

“Er…” Kamui tries to recall. “I don’t know what that is.”

 

“Then I doubt you need to know it.”

 

Kamui nods, “Should we go again?”

 

“If you’d like,” Subaru replies. He glances around the room, “What were we planning to use this for?”

 

“I don’t remember,” Kamui takes a step back as Subaru slides his foot forward, “We’ll figure something out.”

 

Subaru continues the dance, “I suppose we’ll have to. It’s a big room. It would be a shame to waste the space.”

 

“It could be an office. You said you’d prefer working from home.”

 

“When did I say that?”

 

Kamui flushes again, sidestepping into the next walk, “Uh. Third date. When you got called to a client meeting, you said you wished you worked from home. That way you could set your own schedule.”

 

“You remembered that?” Subaru sounds legitimately surprised.

 

“Well, yeah.” Kamui adjusts his grip, “I remember everything you tell me.”

 

Subaru blinks, a slow, nameless smile stretching his lips. It’s Kamui’s favorite smile. The one that always means he’s done something to make Subaru particularly happy somehow or another. “I’m going to dip you.”

 

“What?”

 

Kamui doesn’t have time to prepare as one of Subaru’s right foot hooks around his left ankle. Subaru dips him low to the ground, chuckling softly when Kamui lets out an indignant squawk. Kamui catches his breath, managing to glower lightly at his boyfriend.

 

“It’s not funny.”

 

“Slightly.”

 

Kamui tries not to pout, “No.”

 

Subaru moves, lifting Kamui from the dip and spinning him back to level footing. “And that,” he says, “is how you dance a tango.”

 

Kamui drops his arms, unaware how tired they felt until now. “Thank you. For the lesson. And sorry if I disturbed you from….whatever you were doing.”

 

“You didn’t.”

 

Kamui nods, ringing his fingers together as Subaru heads for the door. He perks up when the older man stops, turning back. “Considering the refrigerator isn’t plugged in yet, and we effectively have no food, do you want to go out for dinner?”

 

“Now?”

 

Subaru inclines his head.

 

“Yes! Okay.” Kamui nods, “Let me just…” He glances at the mess behind him. “I’ll clean up later.”

 

He hurries towards Subaru, stopping just before the door. The stereo is still playing the soft tango track, filling the room with strings. Kamui groans, running back into the room to turn the stereo off before returning to Subaru.

 

“Okay. _Now_ I’ll clean up later.”

 

Subaru smiles _that_ smile again, leaning down to give Kamui a sweet kiss. He pulls back as Kamui splutters, “What was that for?”

 

Subaru doesn’t answer, heading down the stairs and towards the front door.

 

“ _Subaru_!” Kamui runs after him. “What was that _for_?”


End file.
